Nicklaus to Lead Rebirth of Normandie Golf Course By Brian Weis

Nicklaus to Lead Rebirth of Normandie Golf Course

Golf Legend to Donate His Services to Help Launch Fundraising Efforts For Renovation of Historic Public Golf Course

By Brian Weis

Jack Nicklaus, the greatest champion in the history of golf, and his renowned Nicklaus Design firm have agreed to join the philanthropic effort to renovate Normandie Golf Course (Normandie), the Metropolitan Golf Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association (MAGA), with its partner Beyond Housing (BH), the famed community development organization, announced today.

Nicklaus Design will lead the project and Mr. Nicklaus will donate his services for the renovation of Normandie, which was built in 1901 and is one of the oldest public golf courses west of the Mississippi. Nicklaus will not only lead the design effort, but he will support the group's fundraising efforts to purchase the property from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, as well as the necessary funding for facility construction of the project. Upon completion of the project, Normandie will become a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.

"The appeal of this project to me was to be involved in an effort that could serve as a catalyst to change needed in our country today, beginning with parts of St. Louis County," Jack Nicklaus said. "Restoring Normandie for a community in need will have a long-lasting positive impact on the lives of youth in St. Louis."

Nicklaus was introduced to the Normandie project in late 2020 by friend Tom O'Toole, Jr., past USGA President and MAGA Founder. He was quick to lend his support to the revitalization effort.

"To have Jack agree to be involved in this project immeasurably changes its viability," O'Toole said. "Now, this is an effort that a metropolitan area, and the businesses who thrive here can get behind to forever change the lives of youth in our region."

This project is so much more than the renovation of a historic public golf course. It is about retaining a community asset for the benefit of a region by being a catalyst for socio-economic change in an under-served community.

"Once a community loses an asset of this magnitude, seldom is it regained," said Chris Krehmeyer, CEO of Beyond Housing. "This project expands and complements the successful projects BH has developed in this region."

Once funding is secured for Normandie, construction could begin by year's end. It is important to note, the golf course will remain open and continue to be operated by Walters Golf Management through the 2021 golf season.

Jack Nicklaus has other philanthropic ties to St. Louis through his involvement with the Ascension Charity Classic presented by Emerson, a PGA TOUR Champions event, which also supports north St. Louis County communities and will be held September 6-12, 2021 at Norwood Hills Country Club.

More Information »

Revised: 04/19/2021 - Article Viewed 9,699 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.